Episcopal Diocese Sells 935 East Ave.

The Episcopal Diocese of Rochester has sold its former office building at 935 East Avenue, Rochester, for almost $1.2 million to East 935, LLC. The sale closed on January 31, 2017.

The 12,000 square-foot property, built in 1913 for Elizabeth Sibley Stebbins, had been used as the office of the Episcopal Diocese and its bishop since 1954. The Tudor property is within the East Avenue Historic District.

The developers intend to market the space to a legal, nonprofit, or financial tenant in order to maintain the integrity of the building.

The diocese decided to sell the building as an act of stewardship and to scale its offices appropriately.

“By the grace of God, we closed on Diocesan House and have invested the proceeds for future mission and ministry,” said the Rt. Rev. Prince G. Singh, VIII Episcopal Bishop in Rochester. “These funds will enter our endowment and will be used to support such things as outreach missions and growth of our congregations.”

Cushman & Wakefield / Pyramid Brokerage Company brokered the sale.

“We were very fortunate to have outstanding support from our Trustees, Treasurer, Chancellor, and the brokers at Pyramid in the sale of the property,” said Todd Rubiano, chief financial officer of the diocese. “They helped us both in the discernment and careful execution of this important decision.”

The diocese has now relocated its offices to a rented space in St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 3825 East Henrietta Road, Henrietta. “We have been warmly received by the rector and faithful saints of St. Peter’s, and we are quickly settling into our new space,” Bishop Singh said.